Public Holiday Information For Educators In Australia

Throughout the year there are days that are declared Public Holidays. This is a national holiday and usually a non-working day during the year.

For Educators and ECT's, Public Holidays are provided for in the National Employment Standards (NES). The NES apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system, regardless of any Award, Agreement or Contract, including the Children's Services Award 2010 and the Educational Services Teachers Award 2010.

What Days Are Public Holidays?

The following days are public holidays under the National Employment Standards (dates may vary each year):

Australian Capital Territory

Sunday 1 January - New Year's Day

Monday 2 January - Additional Day*

Thursday 26 January - Australia Day

Monday 13 March - Canberra Day

Friday 14 April - Good Friday

Saturday 15 April - Easter Saturday

Sunday 16 April - Easter Sunday

Monday 17 April - Easter Monday

Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Monday 12 June - Queen's Birthday

Monday 25 September - Family and Community Day

Monday 2 October - Labour Day

Monday 25 December - Christmas Day

Tuesday 26 December - Boxing Day

* applies as New Year's Day falls on a weekend

New South Wales

Sunday 1 January - New Year's Day

Monday 2 January - Additional Day*

Thursday 26 January - Australia Day

Friday 14 April - Good Friday

Saturday 15 April - Easter Saturday

Sunday 16 April - Easter Sunday

Monday 17 April - Easter Monday

Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Monday 12 June - Queen's Birthday

Monday 7 August - Bank Holiday**

Monday 2 October - Labour Day

Monday 25 December - Christmas Day

Tuesday 26 December - Boxing Day

* applies as New Year's Day falls on a weekend** applies to banks and certain financial institutions

Northern Territory

Sunday 1 January - Additional Day*

Monday 2 January - New Year's Day

Thursday 26 January - Australia Day

Friday 14 April - Good Friday

Saturday 15 April - Easter Saturday

Monday 17 April - Easter Monday

Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Monday 1 May - May Day

Monday 12 June - Queen's Birthday

Monday 7 August - Picnic Day

Sunday 24 December - Christmas Eve**

Monday 25 December - Christmas Day

Tuesday 26 December - Boxing Day

Sunday 31 December - New Year's Eve**

*in recognition that New Year's Day falls on a Sunday**from 7pm till midnight

Show days in Northern Territory

Friday 30 June - Borroloola Show Day

Friday 7 July - Alice Springs Show Day

Friday 14 July - Tennant Creek Show Day

Friday 21 July - Katherine Show Day

Friday 28 July - Darwin Show Day

Queensland

Sunday 1 January - New Year's Day

Monday 2 January - Additional Day*

Thursday 26 January - Australia Day

Friday 14 April - Good Friday

Saturday 15 April - Easter Saturday

Sunday 16 April - Easter Sunday

Monday 17 April - Easter Monday

Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Monday 1 May - Labour Day

Wednesday 16 August - Royal Queensland Show - Brisbane Only

Monday 2 October - Queen's Birthday

Monday 25 December - Christmas Day

Tuesday 26 December - Boxing Day

South Australia

Sunday 1 January - New Year's Day

Monday 2 January - Additional Day*

Thursday 26 January - Australia Day

Monday 13 March - March Public Holiday

Friday 14 April - Good Friday

Saturday 15 April - Easter Saturday

Monday 17 April - Easter Monday

Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Monday 12 June - Queen's Birthday / Volunteer Day

Monday 2 October - Labour Day

Sunday 24 December - Christmas Eve**

Monday 25 December - Christmas Day

Tuesday 26 December - Boxing Day / Proclamation Day

New Year's Eve - Sunday 31 December**

*applies as New Year's Day falls on a weekend**from 7pm to midnight

Note: every Sunday in South Australia is nominally a public holiday under the Holidays Act 1910 (SA). Find out about Sunday pay rates in South Australia.

Tasmania

Monday 2 January - New Year's Day*

Thursday 26 January - Australia Day

Monday 13 February - Royal Hobart Regatta**

Monday 13 March - Eight Hours Day

Friday 14 April - Good Friday

Monday 17 April - Easter Monday

Tuesday 18 April - Easter Tuesday***

Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Monday 12 June - Queen's Birthday

Monday 6 November - Recreation Day****

Monday 25 December - Christmas Day

Tuesday 26 December - Boxing Day

*applies as New Year's Day falls on a weekend** only observed in certain areas of the state*** only applies under certain awards or registered agreements and to the state public service**** all parts of the state which do not observe Royal Hobart Regatta

Victoria

Sunday 1 January - New Year's Day

Monday 2 January - Additional Day*

Thursday 26 January - Australia Day

Monday 13 March - Labour Day

Friday 14 April - Good Friday

Saturday 15 April - Easter Saturday

Sunday 16 April - Easter Sunday

Monday 17 April - Easter Monday

Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Monday 12 June - Queen's Birthday

Friday 29 September - Friday before AFL Grand Final

Tuesday 7 November - Melbourne Cup**

Monday 25 December - Christmas Day

Tuesday 26 December - Boxing Day

* applies as New Year's Day falls on a weekend** all of Victoria is entitled to Melbourne Cup public holiday unless a different local holiday has been declared for non-metropolitan areas

Western Australia

Sunday 1 January - New Year's Day

Monday 2 January - Additional Day*

Thursday 26 January - Australia Day

Monday 6 March - Labour Day

Friday 14 April - Good Friday

Monday 17 April - Easter Monday

Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Monday 5 June - Western Australia Day

Monday 25 September - Queen's Birthday**

Monday 25 December - Christmas Day

Tuesday 26 December - Boxing Day

* applies as New Year's Day falls on a weekend** non-metropolitan local authorities may celebrate on an alternate date

My Rostered Day Off Falls On A Public Holiday

If you're a full time employee and your rostered day off falls on a Public Holiday you must:

be paid an extra day's pay

be provided with an alternative day off within 28 days

receive an additional day's annual leave

Term-time Employee Not Working On A Public Holiday

If you are working in an out of school hours care service, preschool or kindergarten you're paid at the ordinary hourly rate for the number of hours you would ordinarily have worked on a public holiday when:

you are employed as a term-time employee and

a public holiday falls on a day which the you are normally employed to work

This means they won't be paid for a public holiday that falls outside the term because they aren't normally employed to work in this time.

Public Holidays During Leave

If a public holiday falls when you're on leave, your entitlement to the public holiday depends on whether you are taking paid leave or unpaid leave.

Public Holidays While On Paid Leave

If a public holiday falls during a period of paid leave (eg. annual leave or sick leave), you have to be paid for the public holiday. This includes any hours that fall on a part-day public holiday.

However, if you are taking annual leave at the same time as unpaid parental leave, then you won't be paid for the public holiday.

The public holiday will not be counted as annual leave or sick leave. This means that the public holiday hours will not be taken away from your amount of built-up paid leave.

If you take sick leave either side of a public holiday, you should still be paid for the public holiday if it is on a day that you would normally work. Normal sick leave rules apply for the time taken as sick leave and your Director can ask you for evidence that shows the reason you took the leave.

If you are rostered to work on a public holiday on a day you don’t normally work, and you call in sick, you don’t get paid for that day.

If you are taking long service leave on a public holiday, whether you get paid for the public holiday is set out in the state or territory long service leave legislation.

Unpaid Leave

You're not paid for any public holiday that falls during a time when the you're on unpaid leave.

Payment Required When Absent From Work During A Public Holiday

If you're absent from work on a day or part day that is a public holiday, your employer must pay you (other than a casual employee) the base rate of pay for your ordinary hours of work on that day or part-day. The base rate of pay to be paid excludes incentive-based payments and bonuses, loadings, monetary allowances, overtime or penalty rates, or any other separately identifiable amounts.

However, you're not entitled to payment if you do not have ordinary hours of work on the public holiday.

For example, as a part-time employee, you're not entitled to payment if your part-time hours do not include the day of the week on which the public holiday falls.

Substituting A Public Holiday

If, under the law of a State or Territory, a day or part-day is substituted for any of the days or part-days, then the substituted day or part-day is the public holiday.

As a full time employee who works on a Public Holiday, you are entitled to a substitute day as provided for in the NES.

Reasonable Grounds For Requesting Or Refusing To Work On A Public Holiday

In determining whether a request (or a refusal of such a request) to work on a public holiday is reasonable, the following must be taken into account:

the nature of the employer’s workplace (including its operational requirements) and the nature of the work performed by the employee

the employee’s personal circumstances, including family responsibilities

whether the employee could reasonably expect that the employer might request work on the public holiday

whether the employee is entitled to receive overtime payments, penalty rates, additional remuneration or other compensation that reflects an expectation of work on the public holiday

the type of employment (e.g. full-time, part-time, casual or shiftwork)

the amount of notice in advance of the public holiday given by the employer when making the request

the amount of notice in advance of the public holiday given by the employee in refusing the request

any other relevant matter.

It's important to know what your entitlements are during public holidays.